District 3 volleyball roundup: Dover, Suburban to meet in District 3 quarters

Dover senior Emma Davis stands out on the volleyball court, but she's also looking to continue her education by studying premed in college.
Jim Seip, jseip@ydr.com

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Dover's Emma Davis (21) aims her serve during the YAIAA league volleyball tournament semifinals between West York and Dover, Tuesday, October 23, 2018. The Bulldogs defeated the Eagles 3-1. (Photo: Cameron Clark, York Daily Record)Buy Photo

It was a sequence Dover coach Brett Hoffman would like to see more often.

He enjoyed it all the same.

Taking on Lampeter-Strasburg in the District 3 Class 3A first round at York Suburban on Saturday, Dover opened the third set with 14-straight points from the service line — 10 of them aces by Emma Davis. The Eagles cruised to a 25-19, 25-21, 25-5 win to advance to the semifinals.

"Emma was starting to feel it," Hoffman said. "I went my my gut a little bit and put her back there. She made me look good."

The 6-foot-1 Davis finished with 10 kills, six digs, two assists and one block to go with those 10 aces. Chayce Hoffman picked up nine kills, nine digs and four aces while Abby Diehl and Triana Krider both registered five kills.

The sixth-seeded Eagles will face fellow YAIAA school and third-seeded York Suburban in the District 3 quarterfinals on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at West York. The Trojans beat Lancaster Catholic in three sets, 25-21, 25-10, 25-10, in their first round game on Saturday.

It'll be the second time in the past two weeks the two schools will meet. Dover beat York Suburban in four sets, 23-25, 25-17, 25-21, 27-25, in the YAIAA quarterfinals this past Monday.

Suburban beat Dover in four sets earlier in the season on Sept. 10.

"I'd rather play them later, and they're good," Hoffman said. "They were off a little bit when we beat them the other night. It'll be anyone's match."

Added York Suburban coach Sonia Guyer: "Sometimes we look forward to playing teams in the postseason that aren't the ones we see in league play. But it's always exciting to play a good team. We have the opportunity to rise up."

The two programs are structured differently. Dover is led by a group of five seniors including Davis, Hoffman and Diehl, and have slowly gotten better the past few seasons. The Eagles went from 7-8 last season to 13-6 so far this season.

On the other hand, York Suburban has been a playoff staple for years. However, this year's team has racked up a 15-3 record despite not having any seniors.

"A lot of years have blood, sweat and tears," Guyer said about this group's development. "We're young but not inexperienced, and that gives us confidence. This postseason is great exposure for them."

Guyer's daughter, junior Lauren, registered 24 assists and four digs in Saturday's win. Sophomore Caitlin Springer led the team with 10 digs while Eliana Rodgers led the team with eight kills.

Just a freshman, Rodgers has been a revelation for the Trojans this season.

"She's just super dynamic with everything she does," Guyer said. "She's got a great personality and she works hard all the time."

Added Rodgers: "I started playing two years ago at (Spooky) Nook. From there on I just kept building on it and working out at home."

As for other local volleyball teams in Class 3A, second-seededWest York beat Big Spring in three sets (25-6, 25-11, 25-13) while seventh-seeded Eastern York beat Northern York in four (25-19, 23-25, 25-23, 25-19). Those two teams will play in the quarters on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at West York.

Additionally, No. 13 Susquehannock lost to Garden Spot in three sets in the first round.

In Class 4A, Central York beat Penn Manor in three sets at home. The Panthers will face South Western in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Exeter Township. The Mustangs beat Waynesboro in four sets (25-15, 26-24, 16-25, 25-15) at Central York on Saturday.

Seventh-seeded Dallastown beat Elizabethtown in four sets (25-22, 19-25, 31-29, 25-17) in its first round match at Exeter on Saturday. The Wildcats will return to the same location to face No. 2 Exeter in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.